mino for elle, september 2020

 

 

" feel it all "

< Song Min Ho goes face-to-face with his range of emotions. He speaks about his fears yet chooses to continue to run forward — he is an artist. And even better than that, he's courageous, too.. >

 

 

elle. This is the first summer we’ve had in a while where it rained this much. Are you the type of person whose moods are influenced by the weather?

mino. I would say I am, or more so than others, at least. On days where the weather’s good I would get really excited and active from the moment I open my eyes, but I don’t really like it when it rains or if it’s cloudy like today. I feel down, empty, lonely, and irritated for no reason.

 

elle. You also participated in the Louis Vuitton project for <Elle>’s 2018 April issue. Do you remember?

mn. Of course. That project was conducted with other artists as ‘YG Family’, but time has passed and I’m excited to get the opportunity to be on the cover like this. And if I can brag for a second –– I’m normally really not the type to take care of myself. But for this shoot today I made sure to hydrate my skin, and I even worked out in the morning despite feeling lethargic from the weather. I guess these are all very obvious things to do, but for my standards, it’s me putting in some effort, so I thought I would just share here (laughs).

 

elle. At the end of that year we met again, that time with WINNER. And after the release of your third official album, which you described as an album ‘packed with all of WINNER’s heart’, Jinwoo and Seunghoon have begun to serve their military duty, and now you guys are approaching your sixth year anniversary. Any plans to celebrate?

mn. Honestly I thought, ‘Has it really only been six years?’ It feels like we’ve been together for much longer than that. We'll have to get together for a meal. We contact each other often, but it’s difficult to align our schedules and actually meet, so I’m happy just to get the chance to eat all together.  

 

elle. On the day WINNER had their group photoshoot, you were on set after your solo album title track ‘Fiancé’ got first place on a music show. Is the alarm on your phone still crammed and set to go off minute after minute?

mn. I was ridiculously busy back then, so compared to that, I have some leniency nowadays. And I suppose it’s also a time that forces everyone to take a little break, right? I haven’t stopped working on my music, but when I first got the chance to rest, I didn’t know what to do, and I even felt anxious. Nowadays I’m learning how to rest. I try to plan things out: I don’t have any schedules tomorrow so today in the day I’ll do this, and at night I’ll do that. 

 

elle. Anything you’ve come to realize from this “mandatory period of rest”?

mn. I’ve come to realize that my head and my heart have always been full of so much stuff that settled there without me knowing. So I’m working on emptying them out. I'm also taking a look at all the footprints I've left from everything I've done so far, and wondering how to continue to step forward. I guess you could say that’s an advantage, right? 

 

elle. “Full of ambition”. “Overflowing with desire”. This is how you described your first album <XX> at the time. A year and a half has passed since. How do you feel when you look back at your album? There must be something new that you’ve noticed after time has passed. 

mn. To be honest, I've been thinking about that era a lot recently, especially since I'm working on my next album. What was the attitude and mindset I had going into preparations for the first official album under my name? When I look back, I was younger and I was so on fire to just do anything and everything. So I get confused when I think about that and then look at myself now, wondering if I've become lazier or if I've just come up with my own set of know-hows. And my ear for listening to music has improved too, so I noticed things that I could'veI done better and feel a bit regretful about that.  

 

elle. What part of the Louis Vuitton fashion house do you think suits Song Min Ho? I recall you revealed your Louis Vuitton puffer on <Mapo Hipsters> too.

mn. The logo and pattern in and of themselves are spectacular. But I think the brand's exploration of different directions whilst maintaining their core identity is somewhat in line with the identity that I wish to pursue. 

 

elle. Of course, you have your fellow WINNER members, but your friendship with your close friends often become hot topics. What's your secret to maintaining good relationships with others?

mn. I'm not the kind of person who's really good at keeping in touch or the kind of person who can diligently look after you. Those closest to me know this part about me and they understand. But when we do meet, I try to have a conversation with them in the same way that I always do, and I try to treat them with sincerity and honesty. I don't particularly like it when people try to say things about what I do, so when there's something the other person wants to pursue, I try to affirm and encourage them. I want to say that 'respect' is laid into my foundations. I only voice my thoughts about things that I’ve previously experienced that made me think, 'This is really not it, this is just wrong.’

 

elle. You've been active not only through television broadcasts but also on a variety of different platforms like Youtube (<Mapo Hipsters>), V-Live (<My Major Is Hip-Hop>), Naver NOW. (<Brrrr Friends>), and more. What do you feel yourself gaining from participating in activities beyond just the musical ones? You come on and off of being the hottest topic the more you show yourself, or even with smaller gigs.

mn. There's been an increase in the different contents you can consume through your smartphone rather than your TV. And in tandem to this change. celebrities and musicians alike have been rapidly participating in all sorts of contents. There's a limit to how much you can update everyone with just your music, so I think it's crucial to continue to be active and to try to have a presence through whatever ways and platforms necessary. If I were to put myself in the shoes of a fan or a viewer, I don't think it would be easy to continue to cheer me on in this fast-paced world when you can't even know what I'm up to. Frequently showing yourself to the public is just the decent, polite thing to do for the people who like you.

 

elle. Following the Leica photography exhibition, you participated in a special exhibition held at the Seongnam Arts Center last year as an up-and-coming artist. Do you find yourself receiving different kinds of inspiration from exchanging with artists than when you interact with musicians?

mn. I was so, so happy when I received the offer to join the exhibition. I personally take my artwork seriously, but I know others may see it more negatively as just some celebrity drawing pictures. So I thought [participating in the exhibition] could be a way to begin getting rid of this conception. I’ve been keeping in touch with the artists I met at the exhibition and talking to them from time to time, and it’s a completely new world. In the same way that my musician friends each express themselves differently through their music, what these artists want to strive for and what they want to express are all completely different. So from that perspective, it’s really exciting to see how these people, who are all creatives, also be very clear and definitive about their own, personal goals. As for me, I want to do this and I want to do that –– I want to do everything. But from now on I’m thinking about being more quiet and low-key when I decide to pursue something, in case it looks like I’m just spreading myself too thin and not executing it with depth. 

 

elle. I actually think it takes courage to do something like that. You went through the entire process of being part of a survival program, a variety program, working on music and your art; you don’t hide the fact that you worked your hardest. Are you the kind of person who isn’t very scared of receiving criticism?

mn. My desire to show what I have, what I can do, and what I want to do far outweighs my fear of being criticized. Once you begin to have thoughts like, ‘When I release this, people will probably say X, and experts might view it as Y, right?’, then you won’t be able to do anything. And I do have a bit of confidence in myself, too. Sometimes I stumble of course, but when I have a final product before me that I like, I want to share it with the rest of the world as soon as I possibly can. That product might not be up to my standards five years in the future, but I believe that that process of change and development will remain as my personal archive. Because at the end of the day, I’ll continue to make it through. 

 

elle. And what would you like to ultimately hear at the end of that process?

mn. I think there is a sort of a thrill to all of this. Wondering, ‘Who will notice and recognize this?’, ‘Will anyone understand it?’, and then seeing someone find something that I expressed but disguised in my work. 

 

elle. <My Major Is Hip-Hop>, which was broadcasted at the beginning of this year, was interesting because you got to meet actual college students. I’m guessing that you don’t have any regular college friends around you.

mn. The entire time we were filming for that show, it was continuously fascinating, difficult, but more than anything, fun. I didn’t even know the term ‘CO (club organization)’ existed, and yet I got to go inside a college and eat college cafeteria food.

 

elle. I also noticed that we’ve suddenly come to a point where college students call you ‘hyung’. 

mn. I know, right? I thought I had been leading a pretty busy life too, but the passion I saw when I visited these so-called prestigious colleges, and seeing its students dividing up their time to write and memorize lyrics even until the night before their exam, pulling all-nighters to participate in competitions; it made me feel a lot of different things. There was a medical student in the mix too, so I guess later on if I ever have to go to the hospital I can rest assured (laughs). 

 

elle. You said ‘Fear’ was the most meaningful song in your life, and since then you’ve received a lot of questions in interviews asking you about fear and courage. How do you feel about these words today? I mean, there’s also a saying that you learn to fear more things the older you get.

mn. To a certain extent, I agree. Because it’s true that [with age] you have more to be responsible for and more to lose. People say that I’m at my ‘prime’ age right now, but when I see my younger friends they’re also doing a fantastic job, and even though I’m a part of this industry I have moments where I get confused about what kind of music the people want. Now that I’m in my late twenties, I definitely find myself giving more thought to things like this. 

 

elle. You may just be in the course of becoming more cautious and careful. Is there something that Song Min Ho has consistently been looking forward to [in his career]?

mn. To not lose my passion. I want my battery to always be charged up. I guess that’s why I dislike this recent weather so much for making me feel sluggish. We actually have two sets of TVs at home. I don’t even use them though because I hate seeing myself all comfortable and lazy when I watch the TV. Ah, but of course, I tune in to all the programs that I’m featured in (laughs).

 

elle. Song Min Ho is someone who goes well with the stage. What kind of thoughts do you have once you’re on it?

mn. I have to focus to the point where I’m not thinking anything. So I usually try to empty my head of any thoughts before I go up. Once my concentration breaks, I can’t give my 100%. If I come down from the stage thinking, ‘I can’t recall what I did a good job with’, then that means I did well and I was completely focused. But if a thought pops into my head in the middle [of me being on stage], that already means that I’m losing my concentration, so I try to empty my head again. It’s tough to do.

 

elle. I guess it’s a feeling that only people who’ve experienced it will know and understand. I heard you frequently ask those close to you what kind of person you are. And have you found the answer?

mn. I am a very nice kid (laughs).

 

elle. And what do you mean by ‘nice’ ?

mn. I mean it’s actually a really general word, right? But even after you aggregate the average value of people’s definition of a ‘nice’ person, I think I’m pretty nice. This answer has been sourced from a very large pool of data as told by those around me.

 

elle. What do you find yourself thinking the most lately? It could also be something you’d like to share. 

mn. My heart went through some ups and downs this year. But recently I was able to find my peace. As soon as I was okay again, I found myself recalling all those polar opposite emotions that I experienced when my mood was fluctuating. I don’t think ‘pleasure’ is exactly the right word for it, but maybe it could be ‘achievement’, or ‘love’, or something totally on the flip side. I’m someone that needs a stimulus to help me move, and though I know that this time of serenity might be good for me, it still feels strange. I think it also might be due in part to the responsibility I feel as a creative.

 

elle. I actually took a look at the 2014 <Elle> interview. It was your first interview post-debut and yet you said, ‘If it all becomes too difficult 10 years from now, I’m going to sign a contract with NASA and run away to Jupiter’. Is there hideaway that you would like to currently run away to?

mn. Did I really say that (laughs)? Well, first of all, I can’t go to Jupiter. Jupiter is a gas planet so it’d be impossible to go there…. SpaceX recently succeeded in their first test round of sending a spaceship to Mars. They said it’ll be possible to send about 200 people to space, but I heard that the ticket price is a billion won.

 

elle. A billion won. So will you go?

mn. No way. I can’t. I might be paying a billion won just to die….

 

elle. So I guess you have developed an adult-like fear after all (laughs). It seems like you’re the kind of person who can’t feel satisfaction, but has there been a moment recently where you felt satisfied?

mn. This humid weather is haunting my workspace with spiders, but I’ve just been catching them with tissues. They’re pretty big in size, but since their bodies are thin I was able to find the courage. I went one-on-one with one of them for about ten minutes before catching finally catching it. I’m terrified of bugs.